wear thin

phrase

1

: to become weak or ready to give way

my patience was wearing thin

2

: to become trite, unconvincing, or out-of-date

an argument that quickly wore thin

Examples of wear thin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

People’s expectations were going to rise, and their patience was going to wear thin if those expectations weren’t met. — Tala Alrajjal, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026

Angel City’s sporting director Mark Parsons is taking a methodical approach to hiring a coach at a time when patience among fans and players is wearing thin. — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Challenged by both pro-Thaksin forces and progressive orange parties, its old methods—military coups, dodgy deals, party bans, the judicial removal of prime ministers—were wearing thin. — Duncan McCargo, Foreign Affairs, 24 Aug. 2026

The result has been what some perceive as an erratic approach – and one Bacon said is wearing thin. — Zac Anderson, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026

Rhymes for wear thin

• akin
• auxin
• buckskin
• chagrin
• crankpin
• deerskin
• foreskin
• fuchsin
• herein
• kingpin
• linchpin
• pigskin